


As he pleases

by nopunnofun



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Dead Carla Yeager, Eventual Smut, Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, King Grisha Yeager, Knife fights, Lifeguard Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Like really slow build, M/M, Poisoning, Prince Eren Yeager, Slow Build, injures, might add tags as i write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-03-20 08:31:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13713882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nopunnofun/pseuds/nopunnofun
Summary: Eren's the prince next to the throne of Paradis. One day he falls victim of an attempted murder and is sent away from the capital district of Mitras to avoid further dangers. Levi is his loyal bodyguard with a dark past. With his help Eren will try to take back his place in court and unravel the truth about his mother's murderers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just so sorry for this fic already. this was supposed to be a smutty one-shot but OH WELL I can't let y'all go so easily, can I? I haven't been in the fanfic business for a very long time so I hope this plot will actually make sense at some point (especially because I seem to make up part of it as I go). I also hope to update this fic as often as possible, leaving you no longer than a month without an update.  
> Enjoy (if you can)!

One would think that years of robbery and hiding in the streets would have rendered him indifferent to the dark, yet right then he even struggled to see the tip of his nose.

In the Underground – as people called the small patches of land around the walls of the urban district – letting one’s guard down meant a knife in the back. After the accident with Isabel and Farlan, Levi couldn’t afford another mistake. Not with a way more important task at hand.

He heard light steps behind him and whipped around in search for the source, hands already formed into fists and legs in battle stance.

Yet only the void greeted him.

Was his sight – his best sense – impaired? He couldn’t tell, and that irritated him even more. A quick beat rang in his ears. It was probably his heart, although the sound seemed to come _to_ him instead of _from_ him.

“Ha! Ain’t that my Levi?” the voice sounded like cheap liquor and bad life choices. The muscles of Levi’s back tensed.

“Kenny,” Levi muttered too quietly for the other man to hear.

A sick laugh echoed in his ears. Suddenly a torch lit up only to show an uncomfortably narrow tunnel. The claustrophobic circumstance had almost no effect on Levi, for his eyes were fixed on the corpse at his feet. He could see the green orbs of an unnaturally opaque tint and a pair lips still curled up in a half smile. Blood spurted out of the body’s neck.

It was then that the world started spinning around him, giving him time to register only a few images of his blood-streaked arms and the dirty blade in his hand. The light of the torch burned through his retinas.

 

Levi kept a gasp from escaping his mouth as he darted up and ripped the dagger from his belt.

Before striking random blows in the air he realised that he wasn’t in the dank corridor of his hometown anymore, but in a spacious and sophisticated room in the capital, Mitras.

A rush of pain coursed through his nape as he shifted back to sit on the wooden armchair. He ignored it and stretched his back, throwing his arms over his head. The corpse’s image was still vivid in his mind as he repositioned the blade in its case. A soft sigh followed as his mind shifted from the one of a former criminal to one of a royal guard.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up,” Levi’s eyes followed the quiet voice to the window on his left, where he finally could locate the set of round emerald eyes smiling at him, “I just wanted to get some air,” the young man added as he pulled the curtains aside.

Levi blinked a few times to adjust to the new light and look at Eren staring out of the window. His position allowed Levi to take a better look at the dark, unruly hair sprawled on his forehead. Levi’s gaze then trailed down from the soft features of his tan nose to a pair of smiling lips. For a moment he forgot about his duties and felt the left corner of his mouth turning up. He shook his head and stepped towards the window.

“Your Majes—“

“Please, Levi, we're in privacy”

Levi let out a small huff and crossed his arms.

“Fine, _Eren_. Why did you leave your bed so early?”

"Isn't a prince meant to do what he pleases?" Eren kept admiring the sunset as the older man glared at him in response and headed to the stand across the room where a basin was. He started washing the sweat off his hands.

“As a servant you use my water as you please, yet you struggle with saying my name. You sure are a strange man, Levi.” Eren’s smile didn’t seem to falter. Levi asked himself how could a man with such weight on his shoulders act that careless.

 _“Oh, but he doesn’t know yet,”_ Levi said to himself, and sorrow filled him again.

“I suppose old habits die hard, sire. Not everyone at court indulges in informal conversations,” Levi dried the water on his trousers “I am still sorry for falling asleep. You could have woken me up.”

“And why that? Do I need protection in case the sun decides to set me in flames? It would be better for you to be well rested, anyway, which reminds me that…” Eren followed Levi to the bed where he had started tidying up the messy sheets, “You are not my maid, but my guard. Leave the bed and come eat breakfast.”

♦ ♦ ♦

Due to their very early awakening the dining hall was empty, the only sounds being Eren chewing his bread and the crumbs falling on the silver plate. The prince had of course offered Levi a seat at the table, but this declined and stood with the back against the wall instead.

There was something about Eren’s levity that had always perplexed Levi. During his five years in court he was used to being ignored or otherwise verbally assaulted during a royal’s – usually the king’s – moment of ire. When after almost four years of duty he was assigned to the defence of the crown prince it was as if he’d been sent to live with a country boy. Not that Eren was in any way lesser in intellect compared to his family. He just lacked all the negative qualities that Levi associated with the king. Inside the walls of the castle king Grisha “the wise” was most usually short-tempered and even tended to get violent after a few bottles of wine, which caused the purchase of new furniture at times. Instead, Eren was kind to all people in court (exception made for the barn boy Kirschtein) and – even when enraged – never involved innocent people in it. However, the reign seemed to think otherwise, considering Grisha the calm and thoughtful king and Eren the clumsy and impulsive prince. Eren had a lot to learn about reigning, such as keeping composure during official events. He knew how to act formal in public, but at times the act dropped at the mention of the Marley tribe, with whom the royal family has never had a good relationship.

Anyway, Eren had been the only royal – and the only person in a very long time – that made Levi feel like a human and not like a criminal as others did. His curiosity sometimes irritated Levi or brought back memories of times that the older man would preferably forget. Eren understood the distress, but never seemed uncomfortable with the fact that some things are better left unsaid. It gave Levi the illusion that he had a friend. He still constantly reminded himself that befriending anyone – especially the future king – would cause him grief at some point. He was meant to be a servant, and also an expendable one. Love wouldn’t have saved him from dying on duty.

Levi’s thoughts were interrupted by Eren’s body’s sudden rocking. A choking sound came out of Eren’s throat, and Levi could see that his eyes were watery and tinted with red.

 _“Choking on food like a bra—? SHIT”_ Levi’s eyes widened as he saw white foam escape from Eren’s lips. He caught his head before it could’ve fallen and hit the table and tried to keep the eyes open with his thumbs.

“I need you to stay with me, Your Majesty. Don’t sleep.” Eren seemed to nod in between spasms and Levi grabbed his cravat before putting it in between Eren’s teeth to prevent him from biting his own tongue. He then grabbed him from the waist and heaved him over his shoulder to carry him to the infirmary.

There ignored the healer’s complaints and grabbed a small bottle from the cabinet. He forced Eren’s mouth open and let a few drops fall in before placing a bucket in front of him. It didn’t last long until Eren had reached the bucket and emptied his stomach from the breakfast he just had.

One question resonated in Levi’s mind:

_“What the actual fuck?”_

♦♦♦

Eren’s chambers looked exactly the same as they looked in the morning, exception made for the fact that the sun was now setting, and Levi was leaning on the wall beside Eren’s bed instead of sitting on the chair. He hadn’t left anyone alone with Eren yet, afraid that whoever poisoned the food was still roaming in the castle. The cooks were being interrogated along with the maids who were in the kitchens when the food was prepared. Levi knew that someone’s head would have been cut off before the following morning, but would it have been the right head?

His mind shifted back to Eren. As soon as his half-sister Mikasa had heard about the assault she and Armin had headed straight to the chambers and had already stayed there for several hours. Mikasa was very fond of her brother, and her protectiveness towards him made many believe that she actually was the oldest sibling. Armin instead had been taken in custody of the royal family several years before. Levi couldn’t remember him at all before being sent to serve Eren. The kid was irritatingly shy for Levi’s tastes, but he couldn’t deny that he had the brains of a was strategist, which fascinated and slightly upset Levi at the moment, since a mind like that could have easily planned Eren’s murder.

However, when Mikasa ordered Levi to take a moment to himself, he didn’t doubt that Eren was well cared for. Nothing had yet been able to get in between the two siblings, and Levi realised that he _really_ needed to wash himself when he noticed that his boots were still stained with vomit. Somehow the shock had made him ignore the stench totally.

He dived in the hastily filled wooden tub, ignoring the fact that the water had been too hot for his skin to withstand, and started scrubbing the impurities from his hands and under his nails. Despite being constantly reminded of his small stature, he was at least glad about fitting completely into the small tub. It made cleaning himself easier and faster, especially during a day of hard work during which everyone wanted to get clean before going to bed. He was still forced to share the tub with other people at times, allowing him only a few minutes for him to get decent.

Despite his attempts in keeping himself clean, the castle was being maintained by a bunch of “half-assed brats”, as he used to say to himself. Certainly the building looked clean from an external point of view, but in it Levi only saw dusty closets, shitty tables and kitchens that were so dirty that Levi wondered how did the whole royal family survive the plague. Luckily he could clean his rooms all by himself as well as Eren’s – when the prince allowed it. This also granted him full protection of his belongings and of Eren, which came in handy in situations like the one they were in currently.

He couldn’t get the brat out of his mind. Somehow the sudden fear of losing his only (living) friend had caused him to turn down any selfish need of his and focus on the prince. He tried to convince himself that his reaction was purely empathic, and that he would’ve acted the same way if, say, the queen would have been in that situation.

Right.

The queen.

How could have he forgotten about that?

He dipped his head in the water and closed his eyes, embracing the quiet darkness. Sometimes it was okay not to see or hear anything. It eased him of all duties, at least until he needed to take a breath again.

He rose and stepped out of the tub, grabbing a cloth to dry himself before throwing on some looser and more comfortable clothes but keeping his belt where his blade was hanging. As he turned to the corridor where Eren’s chamber was he noticed a group of older man in front of the door. They didn’t seem to be part of the court, otherwise Levi would have remembered their faces.

As he reached for the door’s handle someone else from the other side opened it. He looked up to see Armin’s lips turned down, Mikasa beside him and behind them sitting at the edge of the bed no other that King Grisha. He gave Mikasa a glance and she nodded, letting him walk into the room first.

“Your service is not needed here. You are free to go.” Grisha’s voice was calm yet Levi had the urge to object. He still didn’t trust anyone with Eren.

“Your Majesty requested my assistance until further notice. I am obliged to follow his orders.” Levi tried to sound as polite as possible, knowing well not to cause more trouble.

As if scripted, Eren shifted in his sleep, a small sigh escaping from his mouth. Levi took it as a win and headed to his original post against the wall. Grisha stared at Eren for a long time before speaking.

“I suppose you already heard about Carla’s death,” his eyes didn’t move off Eren as he spoke,

“Your Majes—”

“Don’t deny it, boy. It’s impossible to live inside these walls without hearing all those rumours, so I don’t blame you.”

Levi let out a sigh.

“However, I expect Eren to behave during these times”

 _“Behave? The moron doesn’t even tell him about his mother’s death and now he expects him to **behave**?”_ Levi just hoped that his concern wouldn’t show on his face.

“What do you mean by that, sire?”

“I don’t think of these attacks as pure coincidence, if you follow me. You see...” Eren shifted in his sleep and Grisha gave him a quick pitiful look, “the queen seemed to have been poisoned, too. I’m afraid we’ll have to take some procedures to prevent further attacks”

“So you intend to transfer Eren elsewhere?” even though the plan was more than reasonable Levi was concerned about leaving the prince in someone else’s care. He knew that as the realm’s strongest guard he was going to be relocated at the king’s services, which meant remaining in the capital while Eren would be in another region.

“Not only Eren. It would be unfortunate to lose any others in court. Mikasa will be sent away as well. You and fewer more reliable servants will get more information about this as soon as the prince is back on his feet.” He gave a half-smile to Levi and gently patted his son’s leg as if he was listening.

Levi hoped for him not to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long angsty chapter...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for being late.. I have a lot of work and personal problems lately... Hope you'll somehow enjoy this though

“Do you want a blanket, Your Majesty?”

No response.

It was hard to define whether the cause of Eren’s shivers was the cold or the oncoming sleep. Maybe it was both.

Levi was as tired as the young man sitting in front of him. Well, if that could even be defined as sitting. What Eren was actually doing was laying mostly on his lower back with his feet pushing against the seat on the other side of the carriage. To Levi it didn’t look comfortable or in any way functional, but he didn’t care of correcting the prince’s posture. They wouldn’t have had the need to act properly for a long time.

However, Levi couldn’t stand the scowl on Eren’s face that had lasted since they had parted from Mitras. The young man had accepted his departure to Shinganshina even better than Levi did. However, the thought of Mikasa being sent to the Trost district with no more than an injured guard at her services had concerned him so much that he even considered swapping Levi with the guard in question, whose name was Erwin. Even though Levi understood part of the prince’s concern, he was happier to remain at his services. He trusted Erwin’s skills, and knew that Mikasa wouldn’t have been such a crucial target to whoever intended to attack the royal family.

A mumble escaped Eren’s mouth, but Levi was unable to understand a word of it.

“I’m sorry?”

“ _Stop…_ calling me that,” Eren hissed, glaring at Levi with fiery eyes. Ironically so, tears were quickly gathering to stop the flames, and Eren could feel his lip quiver before collapsing on the carriage floor. Like when he was a child, he put his hands around his knees and tucked his head in the safe gap between his arms. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed long enough he would find himself between his parents’ feet again. Then he wouldn’t have needed to figure his life out by himself. He could have laid his head on his loving mother’s lap and forgotten the responsibilities of being a future ruler. Instead, he was forced to leave his home and his family without even attending his mother’s funeral. He wondered if he could just remain in the smaller mansion in Shinganshina and forget his title. Even better, he could leave everyone and finally fulfil his dream of traveling outside the walls. After all, there was only one person surveying him; how hard would have it been to disappear?

_Isn’t a prince meant to do as he pleases?_

A sudden warmth reached his shoulders and his head jumped up to meet the forest green fabric of Levi’s cloak. He shifted his gaze to the grey eyes looking at him, brows knotted and slightly turned up as if to give a pitiful look. Eren didn’t say anything, thinking any kind of verbal response would have sounded ridiculous. Levi was a man of few words anyway, so Eren often found it easy to leave things unsaid with him. He instead picked the hem of the cloak and wrapped it around himself better before shifting back to the seat, this time taking a proper posture.

Levi soon became cold but didn’t seem to mind it. His master’s body was still weak from the poisoning, not to mention the effects of his mental state. Regardless of the King’s orders of serving him bigger meals straight in his chambers, Levi understood Eren’s sorrow and made a bargain to eat half of the meal if Eren bothered to take the whole other half. That way he could also “test for potential poisons” in the food, causing Eren to feel more secure about what he was going to consume. Despite that the brunet had been losing weight too quickly for it to be healthy, and this lead to his body failing to contain heat. Fortunately so, Levi had thought of it and ordered the maids to provide warmer clothes for the journey. The young man was not to get sick.

He thought about the oncoming circumstances of him being alone in another mansion with Eren. Well, not _entirely_ alone. Grisha had sent a small amount of personnel to take care of watch hours and cooking. In a way he was happy about the privacy, mostly due to the fact that Eren could cope better with his mother’s death, since he didn’t have to keep up the royal façade. However, that also meant that Levi would have needed to be of support at all times. He didn’t mind the boy, but he already knew that other people’s feelings weren’t a thing that he would’ve been able to handle easily. He needed to be extremely careful with Eren.

The rosy shade of the sky had started to turn into a fiery orange and the warm sunlight hit Levi’s sensible eyes, automatically causing him to squint and look the other way. If the sun was already setting it meant that they were almost reached their destination. He wondered whether Shinganshina had remained the same as years before, when he roamed in the slums as their king, his loyal friends at his side smuggling merchandise from the government to the lesser. Probably by then a series of other thug gangs had probably emerged from the rest like Levi, Isabel and Farlan had done in their times. Most of them had already fallen and given space to new ones.

_“That’s how we roll in the Underground,”_ Levi thought. It was like chess: the pawns changed according to the player’s skills, but the rules never did. Were people still dying of hunger? Were children still forced to turn into ruthless adults too soon? Levi figured that he already knew the answers to his questions. A part of him just hoped to be wrong for once.

He reminded himself of the reason why he was heading to Shinganshina. He couldn’t leave room for selfish thoughts when his task was to protect Eren. They probably would have never needed to leave the mansion, anyway. Being in the Underground would have caused more risks to their safety than anything else. It was foolish of Levi to even think to head back.

Why would he even do it, anyway? His friends were long dead, acquaintances most probably followed the same path and the rest would preferably have his head cut off, or worse.

He shrugged as if to let go of his thoughts and shifted his attention back to Eren who, regardless of the blinding light coming from the window, had put Levi’s hood over his head and snoozed. All the stress, sorrow and anger had worn him out, and Levi felt incredibly sorry for waking him up several minutes later to tell him that they reached their destination.

Eren rubbed his swollen eyes and eyed his bodyguard who nodded as if to reassure him of whatever was happening. He then proceeded outside the carriage, following the shorter man to the wooden door that marked the entrance to the small castle.

Well, small wasn’t the term that Eren would have used, even though he was used to the colossal size of the royal palace. The building in front of him still had enough space for several chambers, a dining hall, the kitchens and even a cellar. They were just smaller than the royal mansion and lacked a ballroom. Besides, Eren appreciated the cosiness of the smaller spaces and the slightly unkept yard. It made him feel more relaxed, as if the imperfections of the place reflected Eren’s own faults that he needed to accept.

He exhaled deeply and stepped into the great hall, where three figures were side by side in a row waiting for him. One of them was a very short blonde lady whose big eyes didn’t seem to leave the pavement. Despite her height she was well-built, not a sign of weakness showing in her posture. Beside her a strong, broad-shouldered man stared in front of himself with a proud smile on his face. Following was a much taller and darker young man, the only one in the group that showed a slight distress. Eren briefly looked at them and noticed how they couldn’t be more than a few years older than him. There he was, fresh from crying like a baby, and there were people his age already breaking their backs to earn their daily meal. Guilt and self-deprecation added to the pile of negative feelings in which his day consisted.

“Please, Your Majesty, allow me to introduce your current servants,” Levi gestured as if to incite Eren to step further and the prince obeyed, already tired of the sudden formality.

“This is Annie, our charlady,” and with that the maiden bowed at them before pinning Eren with her cold gaze. Eren gave a nod and proceeded to the next servant.

“Reiner will be in charge of cooking,” and with that the light-haired man bowed so low that Eren thought his nose touched his knees at some point. Nevertheless he got up without even flinching, his smile unfazed.

“And Bertholdt will take care of the garden,” Eren expected the tall man to stumble on his own feet, but he instead bowed elegantly, following with a “Your Majesty”.

♦♦♦

After having Bertholdt carry the baggage to Eren’s new residence, Levi prepared a warm bath for his master and ordered that dinner would have been brought to their chambers instead of in the dining hall. Some privacy wouldn’t have done Eren any bad, especially since he had seemed to crawl back into the emotionless shell that he had built in the days following his mother’s death. That kind of behaviour had become familiar to Levi already at a young age, when he had completely ignored his mother’s corpse in the days prior to Kenny’s arrival to the brothel where they used to live. God knows how long had it taken for him to even shed a tear for his only parent, the shock having been too big and Kenny’s support non-existent. It was almost as if that part of his life had been just a dream, a street play, and Levi was just a spectator that didn’t fully get swept along. Since day one his uncle had taught him to stay alert and aware of his surroundings. Having his guard lowered would have cost him his life, and that’s why he didn’t even consider expressing his grief until he had a decent apartment with Farlan. He could still remember how he’d broken down while glancing at his reflection on the small mirror his mother owned – probably a gift from a frequent customer – and how his unusually long hair made him look even more like her. The memory of the pain in his fingers still clear from when he hopelessly tried to recollect the shattered pieces of glass. Blood mixed with salty tears.

Farlan had suddenly taken immobilized Levi and tended to his wounds as soon as he’d calmed down enough to keep still. Levi had made him promise not to mention the occurrence and his friend had sworn on his grave. Ironically so, Farlan didn’t even have a grave, and neither did Isabel. Levi hadn’t had the opportunity to even save their corpses that had probably been later thrown into the sewers or into a river, destined to feed vermin.

He realised he’d been straightening the bedsheets for an unusually long time and decided to check on Eren. He found him still in the water, his nose just far enough from the water level for him to breathe. Wet locks stuck to his forehead and were just short enough not to cover his swollen eyes that were blankly staring at Eren’s half-submerged knees. Levi felt compassion for him, knowing that he couldn’t do anything else but stay at his side and obey Eren’s orders. Consoling the prince without his consent would have only forced Eren back into his shell, and Levi knew that well. Before Farlan could even get close to Levi that time with the mirror the smaller man had refused his help and even attempted to fight him. He still regretted that foolish act, and he wouldn’t have wanted Eren to experience the same.

“Have you ever been left behind?” the voice surprised him as his eyes were still lingering on his master’s soapy legs. His gaze shifted to meet Eren’s eyes, that were now staring at him.

Left behind. Had he ever been left behind? Hadn’t he _always_ been left behind? His father was the first, then went his mother and Kenny; hell, even Isabel and Farlan left him behind to go through the pain. They all left him in a way or another.

He sighed and took a moment to make of his answer as unselfish as possible.

“A couple of times, yes.” He turned to pick up some towels from the stool.

“Have you ever left someone?” The second question came swift like an arrow and hurt as much.

Levi looked into those green eyes again and frowned.

 “Sorry, I didn’t mean to–“

“Yes. Yes I have,” he replied more calmly than Eren would have ever expected, “although never willingly,” he dared to add, letting his feelings to take over for a moment.

Maybe if he hadn’t believed in his friends that one time they would have been alive by then. If he hadn’t left them behind and _only if_ he hadn’t joined the royal guard by himself, he could have saved them from being killed.

No, he would have died with them, and that wasn’t what they would have wanted for him.

“Why do you ask?” Levi made to approach Eren with a towel, but the young man shook his head. Levi sighed and sat on the stool, towels on his lap.

 Eren hugged his knees before speaking.

“I was thinking about this.” he nodded as if to point at the room they were in, “If I’m the one moving away, why do I feel like it’s everyone else that’s leaving me behind?” he felt his voice shaking and tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat, though failure seemed inevitable.

He didn’t want to cry again in front of Levi. Even in his worst moments he didn’t want to be a bother to anyone. Maybe that was why no one wanted him anymore. Who would care of a snotty brat with no anger management, after all? They probably wanted to get rid of him before he even considered becoming king. The throne would have gone to some forgotten relative, or maybe his father would have managed to get another wife and start from square one.

“Eren.” Levi’s voice made its way to Eren’s ears and interrupted the train of thoughts. Eren guessed his breathing had quickened and Levi had recognised his anxiety. Eren turned to him and realised he’d knelt at the side of the tub.

“What you did wasn’t necessarily the best choice for you, but it was the least regretful one. Although this… asylum of sort feels more like a punishment, I’ll assure you that keeping you safe is the best for the kingdom. I know you want to avoid this conversation, but without no queen and no other than you next in line the royal family is in danger.” Levi had somehow taken hold of Eren’s wrist and was squeezing it out of rage, yet without hurting his master,

“you are our last hope, and no court pigeon with a bit of sense would ever mean to leave you behind,” he said in a much calmer tone.

Eren had his eyes fixed on him, astounded by the sudden change of character. Never had he seen Levi in such distress, although they were together almost always. It perplexed and relieved him all the same, for finally someone appeared to care of him without minding expressing it. The mixed feelings didn’t help him with containing the tears, but he didn’t mind showing weakness anymore. He was already physically and spiritually naked in front of Levi, and he didn’t mind showing him anymore. After all, they were going to be each other’s only company for an undefined period of time. Why would it ever be bad to get to know each other better _as people_?

“Thanks.” Eren’s voice was not more than a whisper, but nevertheless Levi gave a not and raised the young man’s hand to his eyes.

“You’ve been in the water long enough,” Levi stated looking at the wrinkled fingers, “let’s get you out before dinner is ready.”

And with that Eren dried off and changed into new clothes. He was still smiling when he walked past Levi into his room.

It was the first time Levi had willingly called him by his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you went through this just fine.   
> By the way if you want to check out some Eruri, Ereri and other snk things you can check my tumblr nopunnofun.tumblr.com  
> Just know that there is a lot of nsfw fanart because SERIOUSLY SUPPORT ALL KINDS OF FANART THE NSFW THINGIES TOO  
> Thanks :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SORRY I'm late on my schedule and this chapter is pretty smol. I haven't been doing well lately and school has tried to annihilate me! Please, try to enjoy :)

In a few weeks’ time both Eren and Levi had gotten used to life outside the court. While Eren had learned to keep a slightly formal attire in front of his few servants, Levi had instead loosened up, resulting in Eren laughing over the colourful assortment of curses coming from his mouth or the silly way he . He had also begun spending more free time with Eren for the pure sake of it and not only because of his duties.

The two caused so little disorder over all, so most of the time not even their personnel did much work but prepare their meals. Levi took care of most of the tidying up in their rooms – as long as he had Eren at arm’s length – whilst his young Master had grown fond of the garden. This had made Bertholdt particularly happy, since everyone had figured he wasn’t at all as confident with botany.

Eren seemed to be a natural with it, probably due to the hours spent roaming in the royal gardens with his friends. Armin had happened to read several books about gardening and  Mikasa had taught them what she’d learn from her former parents when she was little. Still, being a royal had caused him to miss out on most of the manual work, and because of that Eren was now unusually eager to plough small pits for new flowers, eradicate the dead ones and above all stain his hands in mud. Once he even managed to get so dirty that he had left a brown and stinky trail from the garden’s entrance to his chambers. Annie, who was assigned to clean it up, didn’t seem to appreciate.

Whenever Eren didn’t protest – which had become quite often – Levi followed him and helped him with physically tiring jobs, though it wasn’t always necessary. Mostly Eren enjoyed his presence, indulging into chatting about plants on good days, and finding his comfort in the silence of the worse ones. He could recognise the latter already in the morning, when pain stung him like a dagger in the back. On those days Levi tended to keep his composure more forcefully, addressing to the other servants in an extremely detached way and avoiding conversations with anyone but Eren, and that too happened only if his Master engaged in it first.

Even though from an external point of view this would have seemed insensitive from Levi, Eren trusted him to make the right choices. His words that day in the bathtub made him realise that even though he needed support, no change could have been made unless he tried to take the matter in his own hands as well. Because of this Eren did his best not to let Levi carry his burdens, but still accepted his offers of help.

He had also started to eat more due to Levi inciting him to lose the habit of sharing meals with him. Mostly the man assured him that the food wasn’t poisoned by taking a few bites of it, but they both knew better than to suspect an attack in such a remote and unsuspicious place. It had become more of a small act to share a smile every now and then.

Well, “smile” was a rather extreme term for it. The closest thing to it that Eren had seen on Levi’s face was a pair or lips slightly turned up into a smirk or pressed together as if to conceal a grin. Levi never seemed to smile.

Not that it was a bad thing. Having Levi show his true emotions was better for Eren than if he were hiding behind a fake smile. He just wondered whether the man was even able to smile, or if he ever had done it in his life.

 

Eren was spending his time alone tending to the garden and wondering how Levi would look with a smile on his face. Would his eyes crinkle? Would he have dimples? No, Eren would have noticed those before. Would he have a smile as shiny as a knight’s armour, or would his teeth be black and small? Did he even have teeth? He must have had, otherwise he wouldn’t sound as good as he did. Still, Eren couldn’t surely tell, and he was ashamed of it. How could he have lived so long with Levi by his side without even knowing what his smile looks like? Was he such a bad Master that he hadn’t made him smile ever?

Either way, Eren _needed_ to know what Levi’s smile looked like.

And to be honest, the image that popped into Eren’s head was downright terrifying. Although Levi’s features weren’t unfamiliar to him at all, it was impossible for him to modify them in his head without resulting into an image that gave him goosebumps. Not that a smile would necessarily look bad on Levi, but Eren had never seen his eyes change into something that was even near happy, so the smiling Levi he imagined mostly reminded him of one of the demonic creatures head once seen in an ancient book in his childhood.

He shrugged in an attempt to wash the thought away and moved to clean some snapdragons from the dead leaves. It was obvious that the thought wouldn’t have gone away by looking at flowers. He had to figure a way to make Levi smile, not only for the sake of his own curiosity, but also for Levi’s sake. It certainly wasn’t healthy for the man to be for so long without smiling, or at least Eren thought so. A little smile wouldn’t have done any bad, at least.

He stopped his train of thoughts and looked at his pointer finger that was lodged between the two petals of a purple snapdragon. The plant resembled a small creature nibbling at his finger, and Eren smiled down at it before realization hit him.

_Of course!_

He finished his work in haste and rushed back to the castle.

♦♦♦

Although it was a temperate day outside, the cold air stung his bare chest and burned his lungs in the shadow of the courtyard.

 _Still some more_ , he told himself.

As swift and as agile as a cat, he rolled to the right.

_Spin. Right cross, hook, kick._

Another blow hit the already damaged barrel and shattered it to pieces.

He stopped to catch his breath and admire his work.

Since Levi had started training combat in the new residence, all the wood they had had been chopped, and now all the broken and old furniture he found was receiving its treatment. This involved Levi punching, kicking, and eventually hitting it with a broom – since using a sword would have done the job too quickly, and the broom was useful for the clean-up anyway. The wood was needed for meals and to keep the castle warm at night, anyway so its physical state wasn’t crucial to the cause.

Of course, he practiced with his blades as well, but without target. He preferred to do that only when he was sure that no one was in the surroundings. Accidentally wounding – or killing – someone was out of question, especially if that someone was to be Eren.

He wiped the sweat off his brow and started gathering the bigger pieces of wood into what remained of the barrel. Everything got thrown in a trunk full of the rest of Levi’s daily wooden victims. The man then proceeded to make push-ups with his feet on the trunk.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears as he approached to the end of his workout. He still couldn’t finish before a pair of boots materialised in front of him. By all odds he believed the boots and the steps belonged to his master, but he was surprised when looking up his gaze met not the joy of some green eyes, but the cold of icy blue ones.

“Lunch’s ready, mister,” she said as Levi stood on his feet and went to pick up his shirt, “We’ll have it served in Master’s chambers.” She bowed and walked away without any notice. Levi still had to catch his breath from the physical work and didn’t even come up with a response. He wondered whether he could’ve managed to wash himself quickly before lunch. He decided that for once only getting rid of most of the sweat was enough; more physical work was in program for the day.

 

After moving the trunk back to its original place, he paced through the castle to Eren’s room, where the door was only half-closed, and some clattering could be heard from outside. Levi made to walk in, but suddenly got pushed back by the opening door, behind which only a big straw hat and two hands holding a basket could be seen.

“Oh! Sorry, Levi. I didn’t see you there.” Eren grinned under the hat and repositioned it on his head, almost losing balance due to the weight of the basket.

Levi picked it up nonchalantly and heard other clattering. It sounded like the recipient contained all of the Crown’s jewels.

“What exactly are you doing?” the raven asked, giving Eren a suspicious look.

“Let’s have a picnic! It’s too nice outside not to,” the younger man replied, his voice not losing enthusiasm.

Levi narrowed his eyes at him and looked out of the window behind his master. It definitely was sunny enough not to freeze, neither was it in any way windy. To be fair, losing such a good opportunity for having their meal outside would have been foolish. He then eyed the basket in his hands.

“You could have then asked Annie to bring you lighter cutlery than silver.” He made his typical _tch_ sound and turned to the exit of the corridor, “Let’s go, then.”

Eren’s grin couldn’t have been wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and smash the kudos button if you liked it. Any feedbacks can be sent through comments and if you want you can check out my tumblr www.nopunnofun.tumblr.com  
> (omg I feel like a youtube star wow)  
> Thank you again!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cutesy + a little angst (only a little, no worries)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all know what? I ain't even proofreading this. I've spent twelve hours writing this when I needed to revision chemistry. If I won't pass my test again I'm blaming y'all for it (yeah, even though I did this willingly. You're just so damn persuasive and I like to please you)

They arrived at the feet of an old oak where at times Levi used to sit and watch Eren work. Other times the brunet lay beside him or climbed up the low branches. Either way, they both enjoyed the shape of the tree shielding them from the Sun and surrounding them with a faint green light.

This time they didn’t need to sit that close to each other to do so, for the Sun had already left its zenith and the tree offered a bigger shade than what the men were used to.

After having moved the food plates from the basket to the ground, each of them had found his suitable sitting spot near their so-called banquet. As Eren lay on his side propped up on his elbow and facing the food, Levi sit on one of the tree’s prominent roots. Eren turned to him and smiled as if he had told the shittiest joke ever.

“Not that bad, is it?” Eren moved one hand to support his head and grabbed a carrot to chew on with the other.

Levi had already filled a plate with some of the quail and beans and started eating while they were still warm. He looked at the sunny garden in front of him and nodded, not bothering to speak up.

They ate in silence for a bit, the lack of a verbal response from Levi influencing Eren’s choice to engage in a conversation. He didn’t _seem_ bothered by anything, but Eren couldn’t tell for sure. The raven’s lack of a smile had again made it difficult for Eren to deduce anything at all. Still, Eren kept his objective clear in his mind and had no mean to back down in the middle of its pursuit.

After Levi finished his plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin, he looked for the ale that Eren had sneaked out. Unfortunately, as he turned to his young Master to ask for its whereabouts, he noticed the dark bottle between moving towards his lips.

“You mean to drink all of that by yourself?” Levi’s tone revealed his concern for the young man in front of him.

“What? Of course not!” Eren gulped down the liquid before speaking and clearly cringed over the sudden acid taste of the liquid. “I just forgot to bring chalices.”

Levi scoffed and grabbed some grapes. The sugary fruits would have hopefully helped him get the oily taste off his mouth. To that Eren frowned and looked at the bottle in his hands. Did he already completely ruin the nice lunch he had planned out?

“You want some?” He extended his arm towards the other man as if to hand him the bottle, hoping for him to appreciate the gesture.

With a grape still locked between his teeth, Levi looked at him and shook his head, taking his time to chew down before responding.

“After having it touching your mouth? Forget it, brat.”

 

Suddenly Eren grinned and shifted onto his back, partly leaning on the tree so that he would still be able to drink without pouring the ale all over himself. Levi’s insults stated that his mood wasn’t bad at least. He took a few more sips from the bottle as enthusiasm – and alcohol – caused his head to feel lighter.

“Hey! Go easy on it. I don’t want to carry you _and_ the food like a damn mule,” Levi admonished him.

“Come on, Levi! I promise it won’t get out of hand,” the younger man giggled and sat up better.

“It won’t. In fact, it ends here.” And with that Levi leaned over the food pile towards Eren’s drinking hand, trying to snatch the bottle from the young man’s fingers and failing.

Despite his oncoming dizziness, Eren was still agile as always, and in no time he was jumping on his feet. Levi tried to grab onto his foot to stop him from doing anything dangerous, but that only resulted in the brunet prancing away like a chased deer.

The older man scoffed and rose to his feet, regretting leaving the delicious grapes behind to run behind his Master at the other side of the tree. Eren had his hands planted on the bark, still refusing to leave the bottle unattended, and had pushed himself away as soon as he saw the black of Levi’s locks from behind the tree.

He giggled, thinking about how ridiculous they might have looked like, chasing each other around a tree. It reminded Eren of the squirrels in summer, rushing from a branch to another and dancing around one another’s tails. Though he appreciated Levi’s looks, Eren never considered him as cute or innocent as a squirrel. No, his guard reminded him more of a street cat, his features more feline and his movements predatory. Levi was never to hide between the branches, but to catch the prey in between his claws.

His head had apparently given up on acting reasonable, so when he realised that his pondering had caused him to lose track of his actions, he stopped to think. Suddenly, a pair of arms circled – or better, tackled – his waist, nearly knocking him on the ground with their force.

“Now it end– hey! Where you going?” Levi growled from Eren’s side as the brunet jerked away from his grip and grabbed a branch on top of himself. He started climbing up the oak, bottle yet in hand and a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Come get it if you can!” Eren called, looking over his shoulder for Levi, whose face was twisted into a furious scowl. Oh well, if he was already in trouble why not have fun until it lasts?

“I swear to god, Jäger, if you don’t come down right _now_ I’ll cut this tree and make you!”

“You’re not my mom.” The words left Eren’s lips before he could realise it. That was all it took to make his focus shift elsewhere and his foot slip on the next branch.

♦♦♦

“Are you all right?” Eren could barely make out Levi’s words as he forced his eyelids to part.

He was still laying on the ground, the soft grass brushing his ears and something – a hand – gently placed beneath his pounding head.

He looked on his right where Levi had knelt to his aid and nodded, the tipsy feeling keeping him from bothering to talk.

“It wasn’t that terrible of a fall, then. Do you hurt?” Levi asked as he pressed his finger against Eren’s scalp. It didn’t take him much to find the spot that made Eren wince in pain. He barely reacted to it, offering Eren his free hand to help him sit up. The brunet accepted the offer and took some time to get used to the shift of blood pressure. At the same time, he wondered if he had done too much damage, not to himself but to Levi, who now seemed to act so detached that Eren started to feel regret.

“Why the hell would you do that, Eren? I am absolutely sure that wasn’t the alcohol making you act like that, or you’d be still knocked out,” Levi didn’t seem to take his eyes off Eren, as if he expected him to jump back up. Eren looked at him and huffed, a smirk following the act.

“Maybe I was _pine_ -ing for your attention.” Eren couldn’t manage to conceal his smile after and looked at Levi, expecting his default scowl any moment now.

Instead, Levi looked into his eyes for an unusual long time. It got to the brink of uncomfort at some point, as those silvery orbs pierced into Eren’s soul, making him feel like that deer he was only several minutes before, but in a different way. He wondered whether Levi was the fluttering sound of a feather of a deadly arrow or of that of a gentle bird’s wings. Moving away was futile, and only time could tell him his destiny that moment.

Right when Eren felt as if he couldn’t stand that stare anymore, something started warming up in the older man. Eren couldn’t place it, but it was as if in the depths of those icy eyes the weak flame of a candle lit up. The warmth of it seemed to spread to the Levi’s face and in no time it had reached the tip of his toes. Levi had curled in himself and held his middle as an unusual sound escaped his lips like a sob.

_“Is he crying? Did I fuck it up royally?”_

_“No.”_

_“It can’t be.”_

Was Levi _giggling_?

Well, giggle was a simple way to put it, but Eren knew better than considering Levi a simple man to describe. “Giggling” suited Mikasa, or Armin, but it wouldn’t suit Levi. Maybe “cackling” would have worked better. Still, it was the closest thing to describe what was happening in front of Eren’s eyes in one word.

His “cackling” was an ordinary-sounding laugh that had slowly turned into something more raucous, never becoming uncomfortable, still. Eren knew it would’ve been hard to describe it, but what he heard and saw right then was in its own way beautiful, every spasm of Levi giving Eren a sense of accomplishment.

 _“I knew it!”_ Eren thought. Levi’s eyes were crinkled – a little puffy, even – and a line formed on each cheek, not entirely like a dimple but not much like an age wrinkle, either. His mouth was stretched into a small smile – much less creepy than what Eren had imagined –, lips slightly parted, only enough to uncover a row of unusually clean teeth. Well, in Levi’s case that probably wasn’t unusual, and still Eren wondered when had he managed to keep them clean all this time, even being around him all the time.

Who cared, though? Levi was laughing in front of him! That was enough to make his _week_.

“You– your pun was quali _tree_ ,” Levi managed to let out in between spasms, doing his best to calm himself down, “Really, you just fell from a tree, not even fully drunk and the first thing that comes to your mind is a joke? Pathetic.”

The last word was almost interrupted by a huff, and the laugh ended as quickly as it had started.

Eren couldn’t believe his eyes nor his ears. In less than five minutes Levi had laughed at an awful joke and even replied with a pun as terrible. He wondered whether it was only an illusion; maybe all he’d seen so far had only been a dream caused by the alcohol, after all.

Speaking of which, where had the bottle ended up?

“Come on. Let’s get back inside before you hurt yourself any more.” Levi rose to his feet and pulled Eren up with him. How could he act so nonchalantly after such an exceptional event?

Eren guessed he was a natural with concealing it, though he would have bet that he’d saw a smirk on Levi’s lips before he hoisted the food basket from the ground.

♦♦♦

After that encounter Eren had barely made it to his door before completely dozing off. He didn’t even smell of alcohol, and hardly had he done any physically straining work. Maybe he was just being a brat like adolescents usually did at his age. Levi had noticed that annoying trait while working in the stalls with the Kirschtein boy a few times. He didn’t mind that when the youngster in question was Eren, and when there was no task to fulfil, anyway.

Levi was sitting in what he’d claimed as his own chair beside Eren’s bed. Though they were safe in Shinganshina, he couldn’t relinquish his habit of guarding the prince at night. Not that it caused him any trouble. He couldn’t sleep more than a few hours a night, anyway. Too many things troubled his sleep; too many cut heads, too many mutilated and rotting bodies.

 _“Stop it at once”_ , he told himself. He was not allowed to let that pain affect him anymore, although he wasn’t able to forget it.

Oh, but he did forget them. Even if for a short time, he had forgotten all the people that died because of him, as if their deaths were nothing. How could he be so ungrateful to those who loved him?

To laugh so carelessly had felt so good, though, and he would have done it again given the chance. After all those years he had finally felt young, _alive_. The last time he had laughed like that had also been the last time he was together with Farlan and Isabel, and it had been ages since then.

He stared out of the far window, the moonlight making its way through the glass only barely. Maybe it was time to let his past go and live with no regrets.

No revenge.

No guilt.

It was then that he noticed a shadow approaching in the corner of his eye.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Yeah, I just love puns  
> And Levi's smile (though I failed at describing it)  
> Aaand yeah ereri is cutesy, ok?
> 
> Drop kudos if you liked this, comment anything (opinions, suggestions for my grammar etc.), drop by my tumblr (www.nopunnofun.tumblr.com)  
> Do whatever you'd like tbh, thanks for your support :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so fucking sorry for this delay. I don't even know where to start with this last month..  
> Just.. this is shorter than usual and hella boring but I PROMISE I'll get something for you in MAXIMUM two weeks!!  
> Try to enjoy my first attempt to write action in five years or something

It worked like a booby trap, and he’d jumped to the feet of the bed, drawing his blade against the unknown figure.

His opponent’s reflexes had been quick enough to allow them to avoid the blow, but still Levi managed to tackle them. He could barely make anything out of the hooded figure in front of him as he focused on dodging their fists and immobilizing them.

No, her.

One thing was certain: the choked sounds coming out of the figure were those of a woman, and a rather small one, indeed. Levi wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been there to steal, since her form would’ve served well for such discreet activities. Her movements told him right away she was an expert at stealth.

Talking of discreteness, a sharp pain shot through his left ankle and caused him just enough distraction to fall victim of a blow to his jaw. He fell on his back and tried to regain his balance, though the injured leg didn’t help him much. Meanwhile, his opponent was up again and ready to strike her boots to the raven’s face. He dodged it in time, and the blow landed on the side of the bed that trembled under the force of it. Levi took the opportunity to grab the foot and roll on his side, taking the burglar down with himself. She must have predicted the attack, because she used the movement to her advantage to wrap her legs around Levi and locked him into position.

The man could barely breathe, the enemy’s knees too tight around his chest to move. He attempted to yank his hand away from the enemy’s grip, but it gave no result.

It was then that he started losing hope.

“Levi?” A faint voice came from above the bed, and Levi felt how the grip on his chest loosened slightly. It was then or never.

Levi spun around again, gaining enough space to get out of that trap of limbs and grab his fallen dagger. He attacked his assaulter’s legs, assuring that the wounds would have weakened them, but wouldn’t have been fatal. He was ready to throw a punch to the opponent’s direction, but a sudden low thud occurred and she fell limp on her back.

 

Levi looked behind the now unconscious body and recognized the head of messy hair in front of him. His gaze shifted down the lean shoulders to his master’s hands that were brandishing what looked like a candleholder. He let out something in between of a huff and a sigh of relief and proceeded to stand up, supporting himself on the bed with one hand.

The burning sensation in his leg caused him to wince, and he quickly sat down on the edge of the bed, thanking the dark not to show Eren how much it hurt.  As if his thoughts were said out loud, a faint light came from his back. Turning around, he was met by a pair of big green eyes staring at him worryingly.

 

Eren’s lips were slightly parted, as if he was meant to ask a question but couldn’t get the words out. The reason to it was that he didn’t really know _what_ to ask first. Was Levi all right? What happened? Who was the stranger? What did it all mean?

Without having him noticing, Levi had ripped the candle away from his grasp and was carefully bent in front of the body. Eren moved forward and leaned over the edge of the bed to get a closer look, a gasp escaping his throat at the sight.

Blond hair messed up on her face, nose bleeding – probably broken – was no other than their charlady Annie. Eren attempted to speak again but was cut off by the man at his side.

“She’s alive. We don’t have much time. Dress up quickly. I’ll take care of her.” Levi’s voice let no space for feelings. That was the voice of a captain, not a servant, and Eren knew well not to object. He rose to his feet and picked up his washed clothes from the stool Levi always kept for that purpose.

As he worked on his jacket, he heard Levi fumbling with the sheets, tearing them, mostly. When he turned around he saw him tying Annie with the improvised ropes and covering her mouth with the sheets. Regardless of the well-laboured knots, Eren doubted the fabric would’ve lasted for long once Annie would have woken up. After attending the recent combat, he doubted nothing but rage would have possessed the maiden.

“Get your cape and your blade. Leave everything else behind.” Eren jumped up to the order and headed to the chest near the window to grab his stuff. As he slipped his head in the hole of the cape, Levi had reached him and made him stand aside. With a puzzled look, Eren watched as Levi dumped the body into the chest and closed it as if he had thrown a raging snake in it. He then walked to the window and opened it, looking down and at the sides before turning to Eren.

“You need to trust me now. Understood?” His tone worried Eren slightly. He had never heard Levi speaking so hastily, not even when talking about the most uncomfortable of topics. He looked into his eyes, darkened by the lack of proper light, and nodded with hesitation. Levi pressed his lips together and grabbed a long white rope from behind him.

No, it wasn’t rope. Those were the sheets.

Eren stared as his guard secured the improvised rope around one of the chest’s handles and yanking it to check how stable it was. Then he threw what appeared to be two ends of the rope out of the window.

“I’m going to go first. You won’t stop for a second, or the anchor’s coming with us.” Levi nodded at the chest, “Use _only_ this part of the rope,” he said while showing Eren the end that had been made out of his darker duvet.

He then proceeded to show Eren how to entwine his legs around the rope to assure a smooth landing. Luckily Eren knew something about knots beforehand and was able to follow Levi’s instructions almost perfectly.

The shorter man tipped over the window, almost producing no sounds. Eren caught a glimpse of his black locks as he proceeded to go down, but lost track of them in the darkness.

In no time he felt the tension in the rope easing, following two sharp tugs signalling that it was his turn to go. He sat at the edge of the window and circled the rope around his right calf while keeping it in place by pressing with his left foot. He looked down and regretted it right away. He thought that not seeing anything beneath him would have eased the tension caused by his high position. Unfortunately, that was the exact opposite; the void was way more intimidating, and he had to take a few deep breaths before finally pushing himself away from the window while keeping the rope with the other.

It felt more natural than he’d thought, and after the initial shock he eased up. Soon he was close enough to the ground to see Levi glancing up and automatically looked down at the rope beneath his feet. It ended about five feet from the ground, so in the end he landed with a small jump. He turned to Levi, who just nodded.

As Eren opened his mouth to ask him about the other end, Levi put a finger on his lips and grabbed the rope. He circled it in the air a few times and tugged it down, causing it to fall on them both. Eren caught the message and started gathering the fabric and throwing it behind the bush under Levi’s orders. The raven then tugged at his sleeve and gestured him to follow.

 

At the stables Eren made to put the saddle on his horse, but was met with a slap on the hand. He met eyes with Levi, who simply shook his head and pointed at his own, already saddled horse. He looked back at the horse. Was survival worth all those goodbyes anymore?

He stroked the horse’s chestnut snout and whispered a pained apology before turning back to Levi, who had already jumped on the saddle and was waiting for Eren to follow. Without looking back, Eren sat behind Levi and pulled the hood on his head.

“Ready?”

He nodded and they rode into the forest.

♦♦♦

Eren wasn’t aware of where they were, for he had closed his eyes as soon as he had secured his grip on Levi. He wasn’t sure whether the purpose of the act was to shield his eyes from the wind, to avoid looking at the world he’d been thrown into, or to prevent his tears from falling. The only thing he tried to focus on was the steady rhythm of the running horse and the warmth of Levi’s back against his cheek. Their stability soothed his mind full of thoughts running around like headless chickens. He loved how Levi’s torso served him as an anchor of hope to the harsh reality he so hated, and how he could prevent every time the horse’s shoes beat against the hard ground. Little by little he got used to the idea of letting go of this repetition as they slowed down. Eren was tempted to open his eyes, but opted not to do it until necessary. If there had been a danger they wouldn’t have gone slower in the first place, anyway.

“Can you hear me?” Levi’s voice rumbled deep in Eren’s ear, though he was probably actually whispering. The brunet let out a small ‘yes’ and nodded.

“We need a place to hide in for some time. A good one. Whatever happens, you must not attract attention,” Levi proceeded, raising his voice only slightly to assure Eren could hear him, “understood?”

Eren nodded again, this time against Levi’s back in order to avoid talking. He thought even opening his own mouth would have let his emotional mask slip.

“Good. We’re close.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please, leave kudos and COMMENTS GO AS WELL PLS I NEED SERIOUS HELP WITH WRITING FIGHTING SCENES  
> I'll get back to you with another chapter asap  
> Check my tumblr as well! (www.nopunnofun.tumblr.com)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idek how this happened but apparently I can stick to deadlines if I ignore my school deadlines instead

He couldn’t remember how they’d gotten into the place, or even how it had looked from the outside. He only remembered Levi tucking him into bed before falling asleep, not even bothering to put the candle light out. Now that he was laying on his back on the hard mattress he could focus more on the room in which he’d spent the night.

All in all, the place was rather small compared to what he’d been used to in the castle. The ceiling was way closer to the pavement, and there was only enough space for the bed and a stool. At his right Eren could see a small barred window – probably featured to avoid burglars – through which a faint light travelled to fill the room. On his right was the stool, on which was placed a jar filled with water and the unused candle.

Eren’s gaze travelled further to the small space meant for basic movement. The floor was dusty, and what seemed to be rat’s excrements were scattered around the stool and in the corners. He huffed, thinking about Levi’s reaction to the rather not immaculate state of the room.

At the thought of it, he finally realised his personal bodyguard was missing. He reflectively turned to his right to look at a chair that wasn’t there. Without clue to where he could have been, Eren was tempted to go and search for Levi, but he remembered enough of their misadventure to know better. Instead he curled up and pulled the blanket over his head, shutting away the rest of the world in exchange for some time in the little comfort the rough mattress offered him.

His mother had been murdered by the same people that already attempted to kill him two times. He was still being chased by the unknown killers without knowing the reason, and he had now no connection to his father or any acquaintance whatsoever. He was as hopeless as a fledging that had fallen from the nest, surrounded by bloodthirsty predators.

The realisation that he might never get his old life back hit him, and his head sunk even lower in the mattress. He wanted to scream, to claw at his cheeks and scratch himself all over, as if getting rid of his skin would have helped with the matter. He tried to get rid of the feeling by squeezing his knees against his own chest as hard as he could, closing his eyes and trying to forget where he was. The impulsive thought to stab his own guts to end it all ran through his head, and he didn’t give it much attention as if it was a thought like any other. After all, what the eye doesn’t see the heart doesn’t grieve. He could stop his own suffering without causing inconveniences to anyone else.

_What about him?_

His eyes flew open and was greeted by the faint light coming through the sandy blanket.

Of course, there was Levi.

Levi, who kept his post at all times, who didn’t hesitate to take the reins in times of distress, who still protected him asking nothing in return. Eren knew it was his job to guard him, yet he wondered what made him stay loyal to the crown, but mostly to him. What kept him from running away like all the others, leaving Eren to rot with his demons?

Whatever it was, Eren figured it was worth fighting for.

It was worth keeping himself alive.

And alive he wanted to feel, finally finding the need to breathe, clawing at he sheets until his head popped out from the pile. He had to start again, living with no regrets, as Levi repeated to him more than often. Breathing was a good way to live, wasn’t it? All babies were meant to breathe at birth in order to start their journey through life. Like such, Eren took a deep breath trough his nostrils and let it out. He liked the idea that that way he could get rid of his old, weaker self at least for the time being.

Eren forced himself to sit up on the bed, wincing at the pain of his sore legs. He had never slept in more than his night gown before, and for good reason; his belt had been pulling at his hips all night, and he could feel the dent in his skin when he ran a hand across it.

Nevertheless, after assuming an upright position he managed to put on his boots and stretch his legs. He walked back to the canister and splashed some water on his face before wetting his lips as well. As he wiped his brow the door creaked and he turned to see Levi step in.

He looked weary as he kicked his boots away and let himself almost fall on the bed, untying the cloak off his shoulders only after planting his face in his pillow. Eren raised an eyebrow at him.

“What? Pissed your pants in bed?”

Always the sweet-talker.

Levi scoffed and put an arm over his eyes, not letting Eren answer.

“I payed for our landlord’s silence and some decent food. We’ll get out of here tomorrow at sundown.” His voice was still strong, yet it had a tint of tiredness. Eren wondered what happened to the formality Levi seemed to be so keen of. He sat at the foot of the bed and started folding the discarded cloak in search for something to do with his hands.

“What exactly is ‘here’?” Eren asked after a moment of silence. Levi answered with what seemed like an amused huff.

“The Underground.” Levi peeked at him from under his arm “thought you’d already figured it out given your insatiable curiosity.”

Even when tired Levi could hit Eren with the sassiest lines. The young man let out a chuckle and glanced behind his shoulder at the window. He didn’t dare to look out in fear of someone recognising him and putting them in square one again. Still, he avoided mentioning it. Who wanted to remember that night so soon?

But then Eren gasped in realisation.

 

“How is your leg?” Eren could feel his companion roll his eyes as if he had expected that question since when he stepped into the room.

“It’s fine. I’ll let it rest until out departure,” Levi replied in an attempt to sound nonchalant.

Eren barely would have bought it, anyway, and in no time he was reaching for Levi’s feet. The raven seemed to have calculated his moves and swung his legs on the other side of the bed, avoiding the eager arms attempting to wrap around them. He would have let out a victorious “Ha!” if only the movement hadn’t caused his ankle muscle to stir. He winced at the sudden pain and forced a yelp back into his throat. It was no surprise that Eren noticed it.

“That’s it. That’s the last drop, you idiot!”

Suddenly he stopped shaking and Eren steadied his legs in order to keep them still.

Levi couldn’t believe his ears. Had Eren insulted him or was the exceptional lack of sleep playing tricks on him? In any circumstances, that was a sign that he probably needed to lend the reins to someone in a better position to judge him.

He reluctantly lay on his back and crossed his arms over his chest. He could feel Eren’s gaze on him, but he didn’t mean to give in completely and avoided eye contact by staring at the ceiling instead.

Eren’s hand gently gripped Levi’s left foot from the heel and put it over his own leg, taking his time to slide the folded cloak under Levi’s knee. Slowly the brunet raised the bloodstained pant leg up and was met with the sight of a sock and a bandage covered in dried up blood.

Eren wrinkled his nose in momentary disgust at the sight, but soon shook his head as if to get rid of the feeling. He focused on the bandage, and a closer inspection notified him that it was no ordinary gauze on Levi’s leg, but no other that a piece of the blanket from the castle. That meant the wound had been left untreated and unclean since their arrival. Eren frowned at the thought, considering how Levi hadn’t really taken a break from protecting him even when injured. He decided not to twist the iron too much and sighed as he unwind the bandage.

 “Tell me about the Underground.” Eren felt the need to distract himself from the sight of the bloody wound. Levi didn’t seem amused the slightest, but he obliged anyway.

“We’re at the confines of Shinganshina. Basically in no man’s land. It’s exceptional that we travelled unscathed, because they won’t bless you when you sneeze in here. Still, I chose to take you here since it’s the last place anyone would be inspecting. What rat would walk from the trap straight to the poison?”

Levi cringed at his use of words, realising it wasn’t the best way to face the facts with Eren. The younger man must have thought he was in pain, since Levi noticed how carefully he had started to remove the gauze from his leg. He opened his mouth, but Eren beat him in speed.

“How did we get here, then?” Ahh… A lighter topic.

“I’ve got a few friends from ‘round here. Luckily one of them didn’t change post since I last visited, so let’s just say I owe them an awful fucking lot for this.” Levi didn’t hesitate to complain. He was glad that they’d gotten help quickly and easily, but still felt slightly uncomfortable of being constantly reminded of his old life.

Eren had frozen, staring at Levi’s ankle as if he had sprouted a new one. The cut was small but deep. The teared skin was still dirty with blood, but Eren could see that around the wound it was red and swollen. Though he had seldom assisted battle victims, he knew that simply cleaning the skin wouldn’t have helped. Levi needed to get rid of the infection before it would have caused further damage.

“Are you sure you don’t want to raise the bill now that we’re at it?” Eren finally turned to Levi and pleaded with his eyes for him to listen. The raven gave him a quick glance and already knew he couldn’t resist. He knew that his leg was in a terrible condition, and playing tough wouldn’t have helped in the slightest. The only thing in their disposal was water, and if it had been as terrible as he could read from Eren’s eyes, they needed more than that.

However, both knew that buying medications was out of the way. Eren would have been in too much danger to go alone, and Levi was too vulnerable. Together they would have attracted too much attention, and that was completely out of question. There was only one, terrifying option.

“Bring Hange here,” Levi sighed as he covered his face with his hands. He knew the moment had to come when Eren and Hange would have met, but he hoped for more time to postpone it.

“Who?”

“Hange. The owner. Tall-ish fella, brown eyes and maniacal smile? You won’t miss her. She’s at the bar”

Eren turned back to the injure and whispered: “Right.”

Suddenly Levi felt a pair of hands grabbing at his wrists and moving his hands away from his face. He was met with those green eyes and furrowed eyebrows along with a pout too adorable to scare him.

“Are you sure you won’t run away to get the stuff yourself?” the eyes narrowed and inched closer to Levi’s face, preventing him from looking elsewhere. The older man nodded.

“Promise?” Eren didn’t break eye contact when he moved his hand closer for Levi’s to shake. Levi took it hesitantly and obliged.

“Promise.”

♦♦♦

Several minutes had passed before Levi found company again. The relief that Eren hadn’t failed at his mission was soon swiped away as another dark scalp followed the young man into the room.

“Ohh, Levi! I see you require more of my services,” the person behind Eren giggled, a glimmer in their chocolate eyes that were almost invisible given the unacceptable state of her glasses. Though she was as tall as Eren, her personality seemed to take over the whole room, suddenly bringing some noise and chaos in the otherwise dull environment. The loose trousers and jacket suited her androgynous figure, making her look manlier than most noble boys the two men in the room were used to see at court.

Levi scoffed, disgusted by the dirt and the fingerprints at the corner of the lenses. He looked at Eren in search of emotional support, but the young man looked perplexed, as if suddenly Hange had turned into an overfriendly dog. Messy brown hair, no concept of personal space, animal-like stench; yes, Hange had them all. The difference between her and a dog was so small that it would be no surprise if Hange was really one of those lycanthropes that old hags used to warn children about.

Hange was in no time crouching at the side of the bed, a small bag in her hand while the other probed at the skin near the cut. Levi hissed, repressing a curse. He knew that resting would have reduced his resistance to pain, yet he felt obliged to follow Eren’s orders. Eyes closed, he tried to relax his leg and endure the oncoming pain of the ointment Hange had started to spread on her fingers. The smell of it burned into the man’s nostrils, filling his head with a warm yet sharp scent that reminded him of the times he smelled it regularly. Old times. Times of youth.

 

Eren was staring at it all, completely smitten at the sight of Levi acting so vulnerable in front of them and Hanji ignoring the small, distressed sounds coming out of him. He supposed Hanji knew what she was doing given the fact that her hand hadn’t been ripped off yet. She seemed like a different person than just a minute before, more focused on the task at hand and careful with her movements every time Levi flinched.

He made a step to leave the door but was stopped by Hange calling him.

“Eren, was it?” the young man nodded, though he knew she couldn’t see him, “Come sit here and tell me a bit about yourself.” Her voice was calm and her smile friendly, considering she was now stitching Levi’s wound and causing further pain to the raven.

Eren hesitated before looking at his companion, eyes showing his pain for the first time ever. Were they… pleading? Eren found himself kneeling beside Hanji before he could notice the shift of place.

_Tell me a bit about yourself._

 “Well,” Eren tried to come up with something casual to say. They didn’t tell you anything like that at court, “I like gardening.”

He couldn’t believe his own words. Of all possible things, he’d chosen gardening. The conversation wouldn’t go anywhere, he was sure.

Instead, Hanji’s eyes flickered with a bit of that enthusiasm from when she came through the door.

“Ah, I see. I can teach you a trick of two in case crap like this happens other times,” she said jerking her head at the half-stitched wound in front of them. “I suppose it’ll happen increasingly often as your journey continues.”

The thought caused Eren’s neck hair to rise.

“Oh, don’t worry, dear! You’ll mostly need to take care of him, don’t make him burn out and all. He’s a sly fox, this one. Will convince you he’s sane even with a missing limb.” Hanji smirked at her last statement and smirked at Levi, who in response gritted his teeth and angrily grabbed the first object nearby, that being Eren’s hand.

“Shut your piehole, shit-glasses,” he managed to bark before frowning, eyes closed.

“That man is a poet, I tell you. There,” she lowered her voice and broke the thread with her teeth before securing it, “almost as new!”

Eren turned to see Hanji delicately bandaging the leg, catching only a glimpse of the leaves covering the stitched wound. Maybe he wouldn’t mind being taught some medicine, especially if it made the difference between surviving and dying from a mere battle scratch.

 

The tension in his hand was gone, but Eren could still feel the slight warmth of Levi’s callous fingers. He turned to look at the older man and was met with the rare sight of a relaxed Levi. For a second he thought he’d fainted or worse, but his companion’s gentle hum told him he had finally eased. He tensed his hand in fear of moving it away and startling Levi, but this noticed his sudden change of attitude and slid his own hand away in advance.

“Here. It’s better for you to keep the whole thing,” Hanji startled him with the small bag in hand, “clean the wound and use a new bandage every night. As soon as he doesn’t limp anymore, stop bandaging.”

“What about the stitches?” Eren asked in confusion.

“He’ll know when to take them off. There’s also some thread in the bag in case you do something stupid. I hope Carla taught you at least a bit of stitching.” The words formed on her mouth before she could even realise it. The expression on her face told Eren that she didn’t mean to be so blunt, but he didn’t mind. If Levi trusted Hanji with that kind of information, he believed it to be the best decision.

He felt the bed shifting under his hand and saw Hanji almost leaping on it to grab Levi’s shoulder, preventing him from getting up.

“You rest here. I’ll go fix you and Eren some supper, and you better not move an inch until we come back.”

_We?_

Before Eren could realise it, he was grabbed by the bicep and hoisted up by Hanji, who then dragged him out of the room without further notice. Despite being perplexed, he followed the bartender through dark corridors until he reached what could be considered the kitchens.

A stone oven took most of the space in the opposite corner, whilst the wall on their side had counters and multiple shelves full of spices and plants. On a table at the other side of the room Eren could see an enormous lidded pot and a basket full of dirty tableware.

“Moblit forgot to do the chores again,” Hanji huffed before taking the lid off the pot and smelling, scrunching her face. In a moment she had moved a chair for Eren and had rushed to another room he hadn’t noticed before. After a while she came back with carrots, celery and other vegetables in her arms and placed them on the counter before grabbing a sharp knife and chopping.

Eren felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought of being with a near-stranger alone, even though Levi trusted this one. Having said stranger wielding a knife didn’t help much. He thought better and didn’t move from his seat, only squirming slightly.

“Drop it, dearie. I’m not here to hurt you.” How could she know what Eren was thinking? “Rather, I wanted to warn you.”

_Well, that gets my attention._

Hanji stopped chopping and sighed, taking her time dropping the fruit – or more specifically, the vegetable – of her work in the pot and turning to Eren.

“Levi… You must already know how he’s like,” she began, eyes locked to the ground, “he never falters, never hesitates. He knows where to put his steps. A false one would break him. He’d never trust anyone but himself, if even that.”

Eren narrowed his eyes trying to understand her point. He was met with her gaze, serious as ever.

“Promise me not to break his heart.” She walked to him to the point that he was facing her stomach. Eren felt her towering presence, but it didn’t seem to be posed as a threat. “Swear it.”

Eren’s throat was dry. Of course he wouldn’t break the heart of the only person he could trust. Why would he want to do such evil?

“I- I swear.”

“On something you care about,” Hange’s face now was at his own’s level, brown eyes inspecting his as if to look for a fault. Eren looked for an answer. Something he cared about. Shouldn’t be that hard.

He then remembered his awakening.

“I swear on him.”

Hange narrowed her eyes once more before letting out a breath and returning to her post, finishing up the vegetables.

“Good.”

They didn’t talk at all after that. Eren was left to think of that conversation. So cryptic yet so clear in his mind.

As soon as the soup was ready, they brought two bowls upstairs and ate in silence. Levi didn’t even protest when Eren adjusted himself to sleep on the floor that night. Straining him was out of the question, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Feedback and kudos are always appreciated :)  
> Also, apologies for making Hange a woman. I just thought that in a medieval-ish AU they wouldn’t use they/them pronouns yet


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know the EXACT purpose of this chapter, but it just is and I hope you find something nice in it.  
> Also, remember when I told you I wouldn't let more than two weeks in between updates? Well hahahah wasn't it a good joke? Let's just say I was hella busy with several stressing things and a few really-not-that-stressing things. I wouldn't suggest to expect updates that often now that I have to study for finals (yep, I have part of my finals this september already).  
> BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME  
> Special thanks to Rus (though I don't know if you have an account or not) for helping me cope with this chapter better.  
> Enjoy!

They didn’t leave the inn until a week after. With every day passing the injure healed, but Levi’s unease – along with his annoyance – grew. Hanji had reassured him several times that they were not to worry, and that even their horse was put in a different barn than the others in order not to suscitate questions from usual customers, but the raven didn’t seem to find peace. Some days he was so nervous that Hanji had to pick Eren from the food supplies, where he had locked himself not to listen to Levi’s complaints. The inn owner had however taken advantage of the situation to have more workforce, making Eren prepare food or clean the kitchen whilst Moblit took care of the customers. It wasn’t much, but it granted Hanji an excuse not to make the pair more than what they had already given.

During that time Eren got to learn how to cook simple dishes from scratch. Hanji taught him to survive in the worst conditions by helping him recognise the plants that were eatable and avoid those who weren’t. If Eren had been allowed to go out, Moblit would have also taught him how to hunt, but he stuck to useful knots and ways to start a fire. Though he didn’t excel at any of the things he was taught, Eren had fun. It was common for him to engage in conversations with Hanji or Moblit while doing his chores, and so he got to know them – and Levi – better. In fact, it was hard to make Hanji shut up once she started talking, which meant that her monologues covered probably any possible topic, including Eren’s bodyguard.

Was “guard” even a plausible term to call him anymore? Levi did take care of him and protect him from danger, but it wasn’t the only thing he did. He was his mentor and – if Eren dared to say – his friend.

He wasn’t like Mikasa or Armin, who showered him in affection at any given moment; he used to keep his formal attire most times, though Eren made him drop it almost completely recently. Regardless of him rarely expressing his opinion, Eren could see a certain something in Levi’s eyes when he tended to his wound, a look that he couldn’t well describe, as if his eyes were “fuller”. The gaze sent a happy shiver to Eren’s stomach.

After a few times noticing it, Eren disregarded the thought of it. It was probably a delusion of his, born from Hanji’s eager words about her days helping Levi with hiding outlaws. He wanted so bad to be in an adventure that his imagination was playing tricks on him.

Levi had duties. He wasn’t even allowed to love.

 

At their departure Hanji insisted on giving them a whole bag full of different herbs and ointments along with beef jerky and some rye bread. According to Levi it was more than needed, yet when Eren hopped behind him on the horse with the bag around his shoulder his only complaint was about the young man taking too much time. It was late night and they had only a few pitch-black hours to get out of the Underground. Eren didn’t know what was their goal after that. Levi hadn’t told anyone their destination, not even Hanji, whom Eren considered the person Levi trusted the most. It sounded suspicious, but he didn’t give it much thought to it anymore. He fully trusted Levi to make the right choice.

He couldn’t remember how long they’d been riding. He’d possibly dozed off a few times without noticing, given the freezing cold of the early morning. Regardless of the rising sun, it took him more than usually to make out the trees’ silhouettes and notice their abnormal height, that was the main reason why the light was still faint in the forest. Eren assumed it was an old forest, though he couldn’t still say how old. It was still the oldest he’d ever been in, which meant they were even farther from the urban area than before. It was no man’s land, otherwise the trees would have been cut down for supplies and wouldn’t have grown so big.

Right when there was enough light to distinguish the surroundings, they arrived at the foot of what could be considered a small hill covered in vegetation.

“Wait here.” Levi’s whisper was barely audible as he jumped down the horse. It took Eren some time to get out of the sleepy haze of his and understand what he’d said, but he made sure no to even shiver as Levi started shuffling the bushes around as in search of something.

Eren followed Levi with his gaze until he stopped a few metres from him. The brunet was shaking in anticipation to know what was so interesting to need such caution. Luckily his wish was realised soon, as Levi approached him and made a gesture as to make him get off the horse. He obliged and took their bags with him, following Levi to a tree stump no wider than the trees surrounding them. At first glance it had looked like an ordinary stump, mostly rotten from the inside, but when Levi stuck his hand in the cavity Eren heard a clicking sound, and the raven pulled his hand put along with what seemed like a dark wooden trapdoor.

After glancing around them and then at the newly opened passage, Levi turned to Eren,

“We need to get rid of the horse now. Have you taken everything off him?”

Eren nodded. Levi took his blade from his belt and approached his stallion, causing Eren to feel suddenly unease. He hadn’t thought about “getting rid of” as “killing”, and the image of a man killing his own horse was as repulsive as treason. Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off the two, with Levi keeping his hand on the horse’s rear and raising the dagger ever so slightly.

 _“Why is he going for a surface cut?”_ Eren couldn’t even finish the phrase in his head before Levi struck a blow to the saddle, cutting through the leather.

It was as if a someone had finally stopped pressing against the sides of Eren’s head. Levi was making the horse look like he’d escaped from battle. That way whoever was looking for them – friend or foe – would have thought them fallen victims of robbers, and probably dead. Still, Eren cringed at the sight of Levi leaving marks over the horse’s sides and neck.

At last, Levi gave a thud to the horse’s rear to make him gallop away, hopefully into the wilderness. At his arrival to the stump he kept his gaze low, rumbling a faint “get in” before pushing Eren to the entrance almost brusquely and closing the trapdoor behind them.

It was dark again, and Eren felt the urge to look for anything stabile to hold onto while walking. While doing so his hand came flying onto a face, hitting Levi square on the nose.

“Be more careful, brat!” Levi snapped while taking hold of the hand and pulling Eren behind him. The order made the blood freeze in Eren’s veins like when his mother scolded him. Of course, he had experienced that often, but there was a certain kind of scold that made him feel the bite of guilt, because he had really made a loved one snap. Levi had made him feel like that, and he told himself to stay put not to cause that again.

Levi walked with steady steps down the short tunnel, inhaling the scent of old wood and tar mixed with the one of dry earth. It had been ages since he last had been there, and he didn’t know whether he would have been welcome – or if there even _would_ have been someone to welcome him – there. Still he remembered the route by heart, never tripping or walking in a wall. After all, it was his only home, or at least the only home that hadn’t been burned to the ground.

After arriving at the end of a very short staircase, Levi let go of Eren’s hand and walked up to it, dagger in hand. With the other he touched the surface of the door at the top, giving a hint of hesitation before finally knocking a rhythm of eight knocks and raising the dagger, ready to strike.

After what felt like an eternity, he heard the creaking of wood and a sliver of light coming from the crack. He could make out the shadow of a head peeking out the door before it flying open, blinding him momentarily.

“Captain?” the man gasped, and Levi had to contain himself from cutting him due to his temporary lack of sight. His voice was still familiar regardless of the time spent apart, and Levi lowered his guard, moving his hand to tell Eren to come closer. Without a word they were let into a faintly lit room that seemed to be roughly the size of half of Eren’s room at the castle.

The boy looked around and spotted a fireplace, and without realising it he had thrown himself in front of it, greedily accepting the warmth it gave him. Levi didn’t even care enough to look annoyed, and instead embraced the man in front of him in a hug.

“It’s been time. How are the others?” Levi asked him, picking up the bags Eren had mindlessly let fall on the floor. He was going to teach the brat a lesson about not making a mess sometime soon. He wasn’t a prince anymore, and he couldn’t count on anyone to take care of him. Besides, his old friends were there and Levi couldn’t make a fool of himself or having an untamed brat in the house.

“They’re still sleeping, but we’re all here. What lead you here?” the man extended a hand to offer Levi a seat near Eren, and eyed the young boy, “And who’s our guest?”

Levi cleared his throat loudly and caused Eren to turn to him, “This is Eren, my… _companion_. Eren, this is Eld, my old friend. I hope you haven’t forgotten manners after all that time with Hanji.”

Eld jerked his head in a greeting as Eren gulped loudly. Levi had used his “captain voice” again. Speaking of which, did that man call Levi “captain”? He’d never heard the term being used on him. And why did Levi call him “companion” instead of “boss”? He would have tried to ask about that later. In the meantime, he listened to the conversation, back to the warming fire.

“We’re being chased. I don’t have any leads, but the Titans might be involved.” Eren hadn’t considered that Levi had pondered on who was chasing them. On a second thought, he must have done something when alone and bedridden.

“The Titans? Why would they act now?” Eld shifted his gaze between Eren and Levi, confused.

“I don’t know. Revenge? Negotiation? The only thing for sure is that they have a bloody good fighter, and she was good at disguising herself as decent.”

The blond rested his chin in his hand, “Do you think they’ve come up with some new re–“

“I don’t know what they’ve done, but if it gets out of hand we’re fucked. I must find out their plans before anything happens,” Levi snapped. Eren’s blood froze in his veins despite being so close to the flames. Eld didn’t seem shaken by Levi’s outburst in the slightest, and instead let out a sigh.

“It’s still early, and you two need rest. If it doesn’t bother you, you could take Petra’s room for the night.” Eld said calmly.

“What happened to her?” Though still looking pissed, Levi couldn’t mask the worry in his eyes, the same worry that Eren had seen after he had been poisoned.

“She’s with Oluo now. Don’t worry,” Eld chuckled at Levi’s reaction, “no one hurt your precious child.”

Levi scoffed and kicked him in the shins.

“We’ll sleep there, then. Come, Eren.” He motioned Eren to stand up and the brunet obliged, following him to a narrow corridor. “Don’t bother waking us up.”

Eren caught a glimpse of Eld’s cheeky grin before closing the door.

 

After getting changing clothes and washing his hands and face, Eren threw himself on the bed not very gently and hid under the covers. It wasn’t the comfiest thing possible, but it was softer than a horse’s back, and it was enough for him.

Levi had found a broom and started sweeping the dust off the floor around the bed, muttering something about not wanting to suffocate in his sleep. Eren’s eyes followed him in the candlelight as he circled the bed, focusing on the way his hips swung with each movement of the broom. He wondered if Levi was a good dancer, given his athletic build and his agile movements, not to mention his sensual hips and…

Eren’s eyes shut abruptly and he shook his head like a wet dog. He didn’t mean to let his mind wander like that, yet he couldn’t get the image of Levi rolling his hips on him out of his head. He could feel a slight stir in between his legs and had to restrain himself from cupping his own member and getting himself off.

What was happening to him? It was understandable for him to feel _needs_ after so long without pleasuring himself, but never before had he gotten aroused from someone doing such a non-sensual task. The peasant life had done strange things to him.

“Eren, are you all right?” Levi had stopped cleaning and looked at Eren with wide eyes, “You’re shaking all over.”

Levi looked like he could read each of Eren’s dirty thoughts, and the brunet’s felt a rush of blood flowing to his cheeks.

“Nothing! I’m just a little cold,” he blurted out. It wasn’t a complete lie, yet he felt the signature burning in his ears from when he lied.

Levi hummed, taking his time to think before placing the broom against the wall and taking off his belt.

“Wh- what are you doing?” if the flush of Eren’s wasn’t visible before, it was now, or at least that’s what Eren thought, considering the feverish sensation of his face.

Levi had disposed of his weapons and placed them beside the broom. His belt, boots and jacket went into the chest at the foot of the bed along with Eren’s clothes and their bags. Left in his pants and a light shirt, he released the blanket from Eren’s grip and placed himself between him and the edge of the bed.

Eren stayed still in shock, unable to move in fear of making Levi disappear as if he were a ghost, or a dream. Yes, this was definitely a dream. He fell asleep long ago and dreamt the whole thing. It wasn’t possible for him to be in such a situation.

“Hell, are you _that_ cold? Come here.” And without a warning he wrapped his hands around Eren, almost forcing the brunet’s head against his chest, “I would’ve liked to wash up before sleeping but you’re a shivering mess.”

 _“Well, you’re not helping me much with that, are you?”_ Eren thought, but instead he balled his fists into the fabric of Levi’s shirt and focused on the slightly musky scent and the way it became stronger every time Levi’s chest rose.

“Relax. Let me just…” instead of finishing the sentence, Levi placed his left hand under Eren’s neck as if it were a small pillow. That way Eren’s face was inches from Levi’s neck, and his eyes could catch a glimpse of his neck muscles and pectorals when he turned to put the candle on the nightstand out.

In the dark Eren closed his eyes tight and attempted to relax before Levi offered himself to give him a bloody massage. Not that Eren would have minded deep down, but… nevermind.

“Goodnight,” Levi whispered against Eren’s forehead.

“Goodnight,” Eren managed to choke out.

Something told him that he wouldn’t have slept that easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliché?  
> Cliché.  
> Leave kudos or comments if you feel like it. I'd really appreciate it :)


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